Bill Text: NY S00478 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes the kinship legal network program in the office of children and family services to provide legal services to kinship caregivers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-03 - PRINT NUMBER 478A [S00478 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00478-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         478--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. SALAZAR, HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and  when  printed  to  be  committed to the Committee on Judiciary --
          recommitted to the Committee on Judiciary in  accordance  with  Senate
          Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee and committed
          to  the  Committee  on  Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the executive  law,  in  relation  to  establishing  the
          kinship legal network program

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section  501-i
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  501-i.  Kinship  legal  network program. 1. There is hereby created
     4  within the office of  children  and  family  services  a  kinship  legal
     5  network program. Such program shall be comprised of not-for-profit legal
     6  services organizations and not-for-profit agencies serving kinship care-
     7  givers,  as  defined  by subdivision twenty-two of section three hundred
     8  seventy-one of the social services law.
     9    2. The kinship legal network program shall:
    10    (a) provide legal representation  to  kinship  caregivers  in  matters
    11  including, but not limited to:
    12    (i) custody and guardianship;
    13    (ii) child support;
    14    (iii) abuse and neglect;
    15    (iv) adoption;
    16    (v)  eligibility  for  public benefits, including, but not limited to,
    17  public assistance and supplemental nutrition  assistance  program  bene-
    18  fits; and
    19    (vi) foster care certification; and
    20    (b)  establish  and  coordinate  a  statewide  kinship information and
    21  referral network.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00507-02-4
        S. 478--A                           2

     1    3. (a) The office of children and family services shall provide grants
     2  of not less than eight million dollars annually to eligible not-for-pro-
     3  fit legal services organizations  and  not-for-profit  agencies  serving
     4  kinship caregivers to provide kinship legal network services pursuant to
     5  subdivision two of this section.
     6    (b)  Each  not-for-profit  legal organization shall be awarded no more
     7  than fifteen percent of the funding provided pursuant to  paragraph  (a)
     8  of  this subdivision to coordinate and support the kinship legal network
     9  program through the following activities:
    10    (i) data collection;
    11    (ii) assisting in preparing the report required pursuant  to  subdivi-
    12  sion four of this section;
    13    (iii) task force meetings; and
    14    (iv) technical assistance.
    15    4.  The  commissioner  of  children  and family services, on or before
    16  October first, two  thousand  twenty-five,  and  biannually  thereafter,
    17  shall  submit  a report to the chair of the senate finance committee and
    18  the chair of the assembly ways and means committee.  Such  report  shall
    19  include, but not be limited to:
    20    (a)  a  review of the basis for selection of entities participating in
    21  the kinship legal network program;
    22    (b) the administrative method used to  carry  out  the  kinship  legal
    23  network program;
    24    (c)  the  number  of  kinship  caregivers assisted through the kinship
    25  legal network program and whether their legal  matter  was  resolved  by
    26  counsel  and  advice  or  representation  at  an administrative or court
    27  proceeding, and the outcomes of such proceedings; and
    28    (d) whether such outcomes were reached by settlement or administrative
    29  or judicial decision.
    30    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.